


Eyes Open

by veleda_k



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Captain America: The Winter Soldier Spoilers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2018-01-23 20:36:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1578716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veleda_k/pseuds/veleda_k
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fury, Natasha, and second chances. And all the chances after that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eyes Open

**Author's Note:**

> Many thank yous to Sholio for betaing,

Fury understands the concept of accountability, of oversight. He understands _quis custodiet ipsos custodes_. But sometimes, Fury hates the goddam World Security Council. A bunch of politicians who think they’re generals, getting in the way of the actual work SHIELD does so they can feel important.

They’re having the same damn conversation they’ve had twice before, on a topic that the Council has a sliver of a point about, but Fury’s not backing down. When it comes to his agents versus these pencil pushers, he knows where he’ll side each time.

“It’s too risky,” Councilman Rockwell says. “ _She’s_ too risky, tempting as I admit the possibility is.”

“Even if she truly has defected, and this is not a trick, can we trust an operative who’s loyalty is so changeable?” Councilman Yen asks.  
“Natasha Romanoff would hardly be the first defector the United States has taken in,” Fury points out with arduously practiced patience.

“The _Black Widow_ is no ordinary defector,” Councilwoman Hawley counters.

“Exactly,” Fury replies. “We’ve never had an opportunity like this. Romanoff has intel the likes of which we’ve only dreamed of. The rumors about the Red Room?” Fury pauses for effect, “She says they’re true.”

“Of course she would say—“ Councilman Singh tries to interrupt.

Fury doesn’t let him. “And then there’s the question of power.”

“Power?” Hawley inquires with a raised eyebrow. “You mean the Widow’s skill.”

“Not just that.” Fury smiles without humor. “You know how little stays secret among secret agents. If SHIELD can recruit the Black Widow, what can’t we do? It will send a message. Look,” he continues, “she’s been vetted by half a dozen SHIELD psychologists. She’s not what you’d call emotionally stable, exactly, but she’s sane enough for our purposes. She holds no loyalty towards her former employers. She’s been in a cell for a month and been a model prisoner. It’s enough to make me cautiously optimistic.” It’s not the truth, exactly. Fury deliberately avoids optimism. But it’s close enough.

He can see he still doesn’t have them. Then Pierce speaks up. “It’s certainly a daring plan,” he says, with an almost undetectable trace of dry humor. “Exactly the kind of plan you’re known for, Director Fury.” Thank god for Pierce, Fury thinks. He’s the only one who has the slightest idea what it’s like on the front lines. He’d been hoping Pierce would back him up, but he hadn’t dared count on it. 

“You can’t be seriously considering this,” Yin says to Pierce.

“Why not?” Pierce responds. “Yes, it’s a risk. But while we may someday live a world of security and order, that time has not yet come. For now, we take risks.”

“And if she goes rogue?” Yin asks. “Tries to murder everyone on the helicarrier?”

Pierce smiles a shark’s smile. “Are you saying you don’t think an entire SHIELD base is capable of stopping one operative, no matter how skilled?”

“Even if we were to accept the Director’s proposal,” Singh cuts in, “there is still another matter to be considered, one that, in all the confusion and controversy, has not been properly discussed. Whether the Widow can be an asset or not, Agent Barton was assigned to kill her, not bring her in. He disobeyed a direct order, put his entire extraction team at risk, and possibly everyone on the helicarrier as well. What I want to know is why he isn’t sitting in cell right beside the Widow’s? I want to know why he isn’t being court-martialed?”

“Agent Barton is not being punished because he did not disobey orders,” Fury says calmly. “I was the one who first thought Romanoff could be an asset. I changed Barton’s orders.”

The Council looks gobsmacked. Except, that is, for Pierce, who's looking at Fury like he can see right through the lie. He’s smiling though.

“That is unacceptable, Director Fury!” Hawley manages to spit out. “Why did you fail to mention this before? An operation this drastic should have been run by us first. Or have you forgotten who you report to?”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Fury says, “but have you forgotten why you appointed me in the first place? There isn’t always time to go through a committee. I made the call in the time I had, with the information I had.”

“Director Fury is right,” Pierce says. “In uncertain times, we appointed a man of certainty.”

The other members still don’t look convinced. “Look,” Fury finally says, “this is on my head. If it goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility, and you all can respond however you see fit. Fire me, imprison me, set me in front of the firing squad, whatever. It’s on me.”

“You really believe the Black Widow is capable of change?” Hawley asks, genuinely curious rather than combative. 

“If she isn’t, then why do we do what we do?” Fury replies with more honestly than he usually shows.

The giant screens flicker as the Council confers among themselves. “On your head be it,” Yen finally says, “but we won’t stop you.” The screens go dark.

Fury walks out, and Agent Hill quickly falls into stride beside him. How long was she waiting?

“How did it go, sir?”

“Well, actually.” Fury’s doesn’t bother to hide his surprise. “Romanoff’s not going to be shot; Barton’s not going to be court-martialed; and, sorry, I’m not going to be fired, so you can’t have my job yet.”

“Pity,” Hill says, dry as the Sahara. “I had my new furniture all picked out.”

Fury can hear everything she’s not saying. “You think this is a terrible idea.”

Hill pauses. “I’m… concerned. I don’t trust her.”

“No one trusts her. I don’t trust her,” Fury says. “She’s not trustworthy. But she might be, with work on everybody’s part.”

“Why, sir?” Hill asks. “Why all of this? Is she that important? Is she worth that much? And most importantly, why are you so personally invested?”

Fury looks at her calmly. “You think I’m personally invested?”

“I know you are, sir. You forget how well I know you.”

“That’s something I can never afford to forget. Tell me Hill, do you believe in what we do?”

“Of course, sir.”

Fury’s gaze turns hard. “All of it?”

To her credit, Hill doesn’t look away. “Not all of it. Sir.”

“It’s a dirty world,” Fury says, “and we do dirty things. But we take out terrorists. We put an end to would-be global dictators. We do what we do so all those innocent people can sleep safely. We’re the good guys. And the good guys give second chances. You say it’s dangerous? I know it’s dangerous. But giving someone a second chance means giving them a second chance to fuck it up.”

Hill ponders that. “And if she does fuck it up? If she betrays us?”

“Then I’ll take her out myself.” Fury says. “Or you will. Or Barton.”

Hill nods. Then she smiles very slightly. “No one ever said being one of the good guys was easy.”

Fury gives a hard bark of laughter. “No, they did not.”

Hill is silent for several moments. “I’m with you on this, sir. Not for her, but for you.”

“Thank you, Agent Hill.”

Fondness creeps into Hill’s eyes. They both pretend it isn’t there. “Will that be all, Director Fury?”

“Unless you want to go with me to visit Romanoff.” Fury sees the expression that flits across Hill’s face before she erases it. “No, even if you did, I think I should see her one-on-one. Dismissed, Agent Hill.”

Hill turns, no doubt to return to the mountain of paperwork that comes with her job. Fury goes down to the holding cells. At the moment, there’s only one occupant.

Romanoff is sitting perfectly still. Her eyes lock onto Fury as soon as he steps into view. She says nothing.

Fury’s not interested in turning this into some sort of silence contest, so he speaks first. “Good news is the World Security Council has decided not to shoot you. Yet.” He continues despite her lack of response. “The psychologists have decided that you’re crazy, but not the kind of crazy that’s likely to murder us in our beds.” She smiles at that, just a little. “They think that after a few more sessions, you could move out of here, get a real room,” Fury tells her. “Of course, it’s not their decision at the end of the day, it’s mine, so I suggest you talk to me.”

“And say what?”

“Anything likely to convince me that I shouldn’t shoot you after all.”

“You want me to lie?”

“Then the truth is you think I should shoot you?”

Romanoff shrugs. 

“Knock it off,” Fury snaps. For the first time, Romanoff look surprised. “I came here to evaluate a potential asset, not to watch you throw yourself a pity party.”

“You have no idea how many people I’ve killed.” The look in her eyes is challenging. Fury wonders if she’s daring him to find something redeemable in her. Her wonders what conclusion she wants him to come to.

“I’ve almost certainly killed more, albeit most of them indirectly,” he informs her. “That’s what people like us do.” He waits for that to sink in. “Barton thinks there’s a tortured soul under that ice cold killer.”

“And what do you think?”

“I’m reserving judgment. I’m the head of an intelligence agency; it’s not my job to jump to conclusions. “

“What did you do to Barton?”

“Tore him a new one. He’ll think twice about disobeying a direct order for a week, maybe even two.”

Romanoff’s face screws up in confusion. “You didn’t punish him?”

“Of course I punished him. He’ll be doing milk runs and babysitting new recruits for at least a year. Even he can’t screw that up.”

Romanoff is silent once more, but Fury can tell it’s a different sort of silence, a contemplative one. “Where I come from,” she finally says, “an agent who disobeyed orders would be terminated, or at the very least reeducated.”

“Reeducated, huh?”

“It is a painful process,” Romanoff says, no emotion in her voice.

“Yeah, well, ‘Considerably less evil,’ that’s SHIELD’s motto. Look, Barton’s not an idiot, and he’s proven his worth. Not only am I not going to kill him, but I’m inclined to consider his opinions.” 

“His opinion is that I should join SHIELD.”

“And several psychologists are tentatively agreeing with him.”

“Do I have a choice?” The way she says it tells Fury she already knows the answer.

“At this point? No. You’ve been inside our base. You’ve seen our personnel. You can join, or we can go ahead with the shooting you plan. But I want you to join.”

She eyes him warily. “Really?”

“You’re extraordinarily talented. You could do good work for us. You could be more than you’ve been.”

“And what have I been?”

“Alone. Joining SHIELD is the only option that keeps you alive. But it can be more than that. It’s not going to be a vacation. It won’t be easier than the work you did before, and it may sometimes be harder. But you’ll have a team behind you, and a backup. There will be people specifically there to help you not die. You won’t be alone. And I can promise you you’ll never be ‘reeducated.’

“You’ll be protecting people. Fighting the good fight and all that. Maybe that doesn’t mean anything to you, but then again maybe it does.

“I ask a lot of my agents. You’ll do dirty, nasty work. The kind of thing that keeps normal people from sleeping. You’ll be risking your life on a regular basis. You won’t always like your orders. You won’t always like me.

“But I will give something in return. I will be on your side. You wanted to know why Barton isn’t in the next cell? It’s because I fought for him. And I’ll do the same for you. All you have to do is earn it.

“Joining SHIELD can just be your way of avoiding a death sentence. Or it can be so much more. Your choice.”

Romanoff is silent for so long that Fury almost leaves. Then she speaks. “When will I be starting, sir?”

“Play nice in a few more head shrinking sessions, and we’ll get you your own quarters on the helicarrier. Next to Deputy Director Hill’s, so don’t try anything. At first, you’ll need to be accompanied whenever you’re outside your quarters. How long that lasts depends on you. Once you’re acclimated, you’ll start basic training.”

Romanoff makes a face. “Basic training, sir?”

“Every SHIELD agent goes though basic training, elite super spies included.”

“Sir, yes, sir.” Her voice and expression were serious, but Fury could see the wry humor coming through.

“Good. Dr. Edmondson will be by in a few hours. Don’t break him.”

“I haven’t broken a psychologist yet.”

“I know. But they’ve been poking your brain for a month. Resist the urge to snap.”

Romanoff smiles at that, a full smile. “I’ll keep that in mind, sir.”

“Good.” Fury doesn’t smile back, but he lets his expression soften, just a bit. Then he leaves her. They both need to be alone with their thoughts.

This can work. It will be messy, it will be ugly, and it will probably get worse before it gets better. But it can work. Natasha Romanoff, terror of the Western world, can become something else. Someone else. 

It’s the kind of victory Fury needs. The kind of victory that makes it all worth it.

***

He’s still Nick Fury, but he’s no longer Director of SHIELD. It terrifies him, in that very, very small part of him that he allows to feel terror. The Council is gone. SHIELD is gone. He has nothing left.

But that’s not true. Hill may be working for Stark, but Fury knows they’ll always be able to count on each other. And there’s one other besides Hill.

Natasha walks up beside him, so quietly that most people wouldn’t have heard. “My flight’s leaving soon.”

He’d like to ask her to come with him. Stomping out Hydra would go a lot faster with the two of them. But he can’t. Whatever debt Natasha owed to SHIELD was paid a long time ago. And now Fury owes her a debt, for promising her redemption and a fresh start before unknowingly delivering her to more of what she worked so hard to escape. 

“I thought I was doing the right thing.” They’re alone. He can admit that.

“So did I.” Natasha’s smile is very sad. 

“We did do some good. They couldn’t take all of it away from us.”

“I know.”

“What was it worth in the end? What am I left with?”

Natasha puts her hand on his shoulder and gently turns him around. “I think you know, Nick.” She kisses his cheek very softly, then turns away. She doesn’t look back, but Fury didn’t expect her to. He feels an unfamiliar weight in his coat pocket. He pulls out a burner phone with a single number programmed in. He didn’t even notice her slip it to him. She’s that good. For the first time in a long while, Fury genuinely smiles

He watches Natasha until she’s out of sight. 

Some things are worth all the mistakes. Some people are worth all the doubt.

Fury turns to go. There’s work to be done.


End file.
